1923-89-3

The influence of 11 kinds of oxygen-containing sulfur flavor molecules was examined on β-carotene stability under UVA irradiation in ethanol system. Both the effects of sulfides on dynamic degradation of β-carotene and the relation between structure and effect were investigated. The oxidation products of β-carotene accelerated by sulfides under UVA irradiation were also identified. The results indicated that the disulfides had more obvious accelerative effects on the photodegradation of β-carotene than mono sulfides. The degradation of β-carotene after methyl (2-methyl-3-furyl) disulfide (MMFDS), methyl furfuryl disulfide (MFDS) and bis(2-methyl-3-furyl) disulfide (BMFDS) exposure followed first-order kinetics. Furan-containing sulfides such as MMFDS and BMFDS showed more pronounced accelerative effects than their corresponding isomers. The oxidation products were identified as 13-cis-β-carotene, 9,13-di-cis-β-carotene and all-trans-5,6-epoxy-β-carotene. These results suggest that both the sulfur atom numbers and the furan group in oxygen-containing sulfides play a critical role in the photooxidation of β-carotene.

Beta-carotene and alpha-tocopherol are important antioxidants biologically, but whether their oxidized products are toxic or not remains to be discovered. Here, we chromatographically separated 5 pure products or isomeric mixtures from reaction mixtures o

Methyl linoleate containing β-carotene was autoxidized or photooxidized at 37°C in the bulk phase, and the oxidation products of β-carotene were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography. Formyl β-carotenes, β-carotene 5,6-epoxide, and cyclic ethers of β-carotene were detected as the oxidation products during the peroxidation of methyl linoleate initiated by a free radical initiator. These products, which were also detected in the methyl linoleate autoxidized without an initiator, were detectable only in much smaller amounts than the consumed β-carotene. In the chlorophyll-sensitized photooxidation process, the products were β-carotene 5,8-endoperoxide and β-carotene 5,6-epoxide. α-Tocopherol partially inhibited the formation of the 5,6-epoxide, but had no effect on the main product, the 5,8-endoperoxide. These results indicate that β-carotene reacted with singlet oxygen to form the 5,8-endoperoxide as the primary product during the photooxidation of methyl linoleate, and that β-carotene trapped lipid-peroxyl radicals to form oxygenated products which decomposed immediately during the autoxidation process.

Recent intervention trials reported that smokers given dietary beta-carotene supplementation exhibited an increased risk of lung cancer and overall mortality. beta-Carotene has been hypothesized to promote lung carcinogenesis by acting as a prooxidant in the smoke-exposed lung. We have examined the interactions of cigarette smoke with beta-carotene in model systems. Both whole smoke and gas-phase smoke oxidized beta-carotene in toluene to several products, including carbonyl-containing polyene chain cleavage products and beta-carotene epoxides. A major product of the reaction was identified as 4-nitro-beta-carotene, which was formed by nitrogen oxides in smoke. Both cis and all-trans isomers of 4-nitro-beta-carotene were detected. The hypothesis that smoke-driven beta-carotene autoxidation exerts prooxidant effects was tested in a liposome system. Lipid peroxidation in dilinoleoylphosphatidylcholine liposomes exposed to gas-phase smoke was modestly inhibited by the incorporation of 0.1 mol % beta-carotene. Both the lipid soluble antioxidant alpha-tocopherol and the water soluble antioxidant ascorbate were oxidized more slowly by gas-phase smoke exposure in liposomes containing beta-carotene. These data indicate that beta-carotene exerts weak antioxidant effects against smoke-induced oxidative damage in vitro. It is unlikely that a prooxidant effect of beta-carotene occurs under biologically relevant conditions or is responsible for an increased incidence of lung cancer observed in smokers who consume beta-carotene supplements.

The carotenoid pattern of four yellow- and four white-fleshed potato cultivars (Solanum tuberosum L.), common on the German market, was investigated using HPLC and LC(APCI)-MS for identification and quantification of carotenoids. In each case, the carotenoid pattern was dominated by violaxanthin, antheraxanthin, lutein, and zeaxanthin, which were present in different ratios, whereas neoxanthin, β-cryptoxanthin, and β,β-carotene generally are only minor constituents. In contrast to literature data, antheraxanthin was found to be the only carotenoid epoxide present in native extracts. The total concentration of the four main carotenoids reached 175,ug/100 g, whereas the sum of carotenoid esters accounted for 41-131 μg/100 g. Therefore, carotenoid esters are regarded as quantitatively significant compounds in potatoes. For LC(APCI)-MS analyses of carotenoid esters, a two-stage cleanup procedure was developed, involving column chromatography on silica gel and enzymatic cleavage of residual triacylglycerides by lipases. This facilitated the direct identification of several potato carotenoid esters without previous isolation of the compounds. Although the unequivocal identification of all parent carotenoids was not possible, the cleanup procedure proved to be highly efficient for LC(APCI)-MS analyses of very low amounts of carotenoid esters.

Mild oxidative cleavage of β,β-carotene by dioxygen is induced by a ruthenium tetramesitylporphyrin catalyst, and it leads to the full possible range of β-apocarotenals and β-apocarotenones. The slow reaction kinetics allow the sequence of events leading to double bond cleavage over a period of 24 h to be monitored by HPLC-DAD and HPLC-MS.

In the self-initiated oxidation of β-carotene with molecular oxygen the rate of oxygen uptake was shown to depend on the oxygen partial pressure. Epoxides, dihydrofurans, carbonyl compounds, carbon dioxide, oligomeric material, traces of alcohols, and probably carboxylic acids were formed. The main products in the early stage of the oxidation were shown to be 5,6-epoxy-β-carotene. 15,15′-epoxy-′-carotene, diepoxides, and a series of β-apo-carotenals and -carotenones. As the oxidation proceeded uncharacterised oligomeric material and the carbonyl compounds became more important and the epoxides degraded. In the final phase of the oxidation the longer chain β-apo-carotenals were themselves oxidized to shorter chain carbonyl compounds, particularly β-apo-13-carotenone, β-ionone, 5,6-epoxy-gb-ionone, dihydroactinidiolide and probably carboxylic acids. The effect of iron, copper and zinc stearates on the product composition and proportions was studied, as was the effect of light. The oxidation was inhibited by 2,6-di-t-butyl-4-methyphenol and α-tocopherol. The oxidations of β-apo-8′-carotenal and retinal under similar conditions were studied briefly, and the main products from the former compound were characterized. The initiation, the formation of the epoxides, the β-apo-carotenals and -carotenones, the successive chain shortening of the aldehydes to the ketones, and the formation of dihydroactinidiolide are explained in terms of free radical peroxidation chemistry.

The main products in the early stages of β-carotene autoxidation were epoxides, β-ionone, β-apo-13-carotenone, retinal, and related carbonyl compounds; in the final mixture short chain carbonyl compounds predominated.